Cross Angel Mysteries
by MykaGhostt
Summary: "I sat there staring at my lap, trying my hardest not to cry. I clenched my fists. I was so angry that I had gotten myself tricked, and I was upset that I had to hurt others because I wanted to protect Koori." - Quoted from Chapter 6. (Will no longer be updating. I have lost interest in continuing the story.)
1. Seiyo Academy

Another city, another school, new people, new house, new, new, new. It happened way too often, so this time, I made Mom promise that she wasn't going to move me again. It's weird. I would just keep it all to myself, but you know, I just couldn't take it anymore. I wanted to stay in one place and have the things I was supposed to have. Best friends. I didn't have one best friend. Except maybe for Koori, my Guardian Character which is otherwise known as my would-be-self.

This time, I would be starting school at Seiyo Academy. Mom showed me what it looked like on the brochure, but when she actually drove me there, my mouth dropped. It was so big! There was a gate around the property and everything!

"Wow..." I awed.

My Mom laughed. "You like it?"

"Yeah!" I exclaimed.

"This is a great place to start anew, Ream!" piped up Koori.

My smile faltered a bit. Talking with other people wasn't exactly the easiest. All the other schools before, I tried, sort of, but I didn't get far. Most people just thought I was weird, told me to go away, and told me to shut up. They didn't want me around.

"Why did I have to come along?" asked Hayato, my older brother, grumpily.

"I'm dropping you off at your school after Ream, Hayato," Mom replied, sounding a bit annoyed.

Mom and Hayato never really got along. Hayato was a Daddy's Boy and Mom was the evil disciplinary queen. I was more of a Mommy's Girl 'cause Dad frightened me. Hayato always seemed to be able to handle their fights, but I never could. And Dad was scary. _Really _scary.

I decided it was time to get out of the car.

"Have a good day at school, Ream!" said Mom.

Hayato just simply slipped a note into my hand as casually as possible before letting me close the door.

"Hayato, say something to your sister."

"Bye."

"Bye," I replied, waving a little with a small smile.

I watched Mom start to drive away, and Hayato sneaked a wink at me before they drove off. I smiled bigger.

I looked down to the note in my hand and opened it up.

_Have a good day at school! Don't let anyone push you around. You're better than that!_

_Love you Remy :)_

_Hayato_

I slipped it into my coat pocket and walked towards the front doors of the school. I had a lot more confidence in myself now. I could do this!

"Feeling better?" asked Koori.

"Yeah," I replied with a smile.

"Amazing what that brother of yours can do," she said, looking back at the spot Mom's car was. It was filled with another car, another kid, and another parent.

"He's the most tough person I know."

"You look up to him because of that?"

"Yep!"

I went into the office and told them my name. I had to repeat myself a couple times since the secretary couldn't hear me. Apparently I was talking too quietly. It wasn't anything new. Just another thing I wanted to fix.

"Hang on, I'll call down a Guardian to take you to your classroom since he's in the same class as you."

"Guardian?" I asked.

"They're like a student council."

"Oh, okay," I replied.

"A student council in elementary school? Sounds dumb to me," huffed Koori.

I ignored her.

"Kukai Souma to the office please. Kukai Souma," she announced to the school.

"That's an interesting name..." Koori responded. "Wonder what he's like..."

I wasn't extremely interested. Guys were harder to talk to than girls. I couldn't find common ground with them. Guys liked sports. I didn't. Guys... I didn't even know much about what they liked. Weird right? I have a brother so I should know, but thing is, my brother isn't like other guys.

"Here I am! What do you need me for?"

I turned and saw him. Taller than me, spiky orange hair, beautiful green eyes, and he was wearing a funny looking uniform. It was different than the school one I was wearing. And it was blue, my favourite colour.

"Can you escort Ream to your classroom? She's in the same class as you," answered the secretary.

"Yeah, sure," he replied with a smile. "Come on, Ream. I'll show you around too while we're at it!"

"Um... okay..." I replied shyly.

"Oh come _on_, Ream! He's cute, so you _have _to stop being shy and be, like, confident!" said Koori.

"But..." I replied.

"No buts! This is a new start for you, and you have to try harder than ever before to be less shy! That's what you want right?"

"Yeah..." I answered quietly, like I always did when I was around others.

"Then be confident! Ask questions and don't be so quiet that he can't hear you. Be open."

"Okay..."

We went up the stairs, turned right, and went down the hallway, passing by at least five or six doors before stopping. All the girls were staring at Kukai and whispering to each other, or saying hi. He was friendly enough to reply back, but I guess you'd have to be if you were a Guardian.

He opened the door. "First of all, and most important, this is our classroom."

I stepped inside and looked around. The windows were huge, and the desks and chairs were made out of wood. Like, real wood. And were those chalk boards instead of white boards? The school was big enough to have money. Real good money. So why did they have chalk boards?

"Wow... Old style school much?" commented Koori. "The other schools you've been to were better on the inside."

"This is... different than what I'm used to," I said to Kukai.

He chuckled and leaned against the door frame, arms crossed. "Well, our principle likes to keep the place original."

"I haven't met him yet."

"You will soon enough. He doesn't have an office in, well, the office. He has his own private one," he replied.

"A private office outside of the school office? That's something I haven't heard of before." I stepped towards the window and looked outside of it. The sky was cloudless, but the property looked amazing! Maybe I should have paid more attention when I was walking in instead of being... elsewhere in my mind when I walked in.

"He's a unique guy," he replied.

"I guess so." I turned around and faced Kukai. "You're wearing my favourite colour by the way."

He looked down at himself, moving his arms away so he could have a better view. "Blue?" he guessed. "That's you're favourite colour?"

"Mhm," I answered.

"Why's that?" he asked, looking at me again.

I blinked a couple times, surprised that he even asked. "Um... Well... It's because it means freedom. Blue represents freedom for me."

Koori hit her forehead and sighed. "You stuttered."

"Well, I wasn't expecting him to even care!" I hissed as quietly as I could to her.

The bell rang.

"Guess we can't explore the rest of the school now. Maybe at lunch?" he suggested.

"Okay," I agreed. "Where do I sit?"

"You can sit right at that window there," he replied. "No one sits there."

"Okay."

I sat down in the chair and pulled out the book I was reading.

"You aren't going to talk to him? Seriously?" said Koori.

"I don't know what to say..."

"Play twenty questions or something! Anything to get to know the guy at this point!"

"Isn't that silly to ask though? We barely know each other so... wouldn't that be weird to want to play twenty questions?"

"Well..."

"See?" I said.

"Shut up, Ream. At least it's something."

I ignored her and started reading my book.


	2. Uncle Nikaidou

"And this is where us Guardians meet up."

He opened the glass doors of the seemingly fragile building, and I gasped. Beautiful flowers of every colour were everywhere, and the smell was calming as much as it was alluring.

"It's gorgeous!" I exclaimed.

"Hey, maybe we could be Guardians too, Ream! Then we could come here all the time!" said Koori.

Kukai led me inside, and I gawked at everything. How could this just be an elementary school? How did they get this much money to create and maintain such a castle?

"Ream Kiyomizu to the office please. Ream Kiyomizu."

"Guess you have to go now," said Kukai.

I nodded.

(^^^-^^^)

"I'm here," I announced as I entered the office.

"You have a phone call from you're Uncle Nikaidou."

"I wonder why he called..." I mumbled to myself, taking the phone from the secretary.

Uncle Nikaidou wasn't my biological uncle, but he was a close family friend. Mom said he had a good job that made him lots of money, so that's why we couldn't see him as often as before. Mom also told me he lived in the same city as us now.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Remy!"

"Hi, Uncle Nikaidou. You wanted something?"

"Yes, I'm going to be coming to pick you up after school because you're Mom will still be working late tonight."

"Are you picking up Hayato too?" I asked.

"Yes, I will be," he replied.

"Okay."

"Would you like to see my work place too?" he asked.

"Sure," I answered.

I _was _curious about his job. Mom never went into detail about it, but she seemed to know more than she was letting on. I never called her out on it though.

"Alright, I'll let you go. Bye, Remy," he said cheerfully.

"Bye, Uncle Nikaidou."

I gave the phone back to the secretary.

The bell rang again.

"What kind of job do you think he has?" asked Koori as I left the office to go to class.

"I don't know, but it can't be that bad if I can go see it," I answered.

"True..." Koori seemed to go into thought.

(^^^-^^^)

I ran towards the front gate and immediately started to look around for my brother and uncle. I hadn't seen Uncle Nikaidou in so long that I wasn't even sure id he had the same car he had before.

"Remy, over here!"

I looked in the direction of where I was called and saw my uncle waving at me. Hayato was just his normal, seemingly grumpy self. I ran over to them.

"Uncle Nikaidou!" I exclaimed, jumping into his arms. He caught me and spun me around, both of us laughing. Then he put me down.

"Ready to see where I work?"

"You bet!"

"Alright! Lets get in my car."

I followed Uncle Nikaidou and Hayato.

"Did you have a good day at school?" asked Hayato.

"It was okay. I didn't talk to a lot of people, but I did meet a boy who's a Guardian. A Guardian is basically a student council person. Don't you think that's weird to have a student council in an elementary school? 'Cause I think that's weird."

He chuckled. "It is different. Is he in your class? What's he like?"

"He's friendly and nice. Girls seem to like him too, so I guess he's popular," I answered. "Oh, and yeah, he's in my class."

"Ah, I see."

"And the classrooms are strange! They used old style wooden desks and chalk boards!" I continued. "And Kukai, the Guardian, he told me something about the principal too."

"What he say about him?" asked Hayato.

"He said he had his own office, _outside _of the school office, somewhere in the school. He also said he liked keeping the school original." I explained. "He sounds odd to me. What about you?"

"Yes he does," he replied.

"Remy, do you have any questions about where I work?" interrupted Uncle Nikaidou as we got into the car.

"Hm? Oh! Yes, I do. What's the name of the place where you work at?"

"It's called Easter," he answered, starting the car and driving off the school property.

"Easter? Is it an egg factory or something?"

Uncle Nikaidou laughed. "No, no it's not. I don't even think those exist."

"Then what is it?" I prodded.

"It's a company that works in the music business as well as other things."

"What other things?"

"Um..." he replied, going into thought. "We're on a treasure hunt, the whole company and it's staff. We're all looking for something for the president of Easter."

"What are you looking for?"

"A precious item the president wants."

I frowned. He was being evasive.

"We're here!" exclaimed Uncle Nikaidou.

I looked out the window and saw a tall building with the name "Easter" right on the front.

"I wonder who came up with he name," said Koori.

"Whoever did needs to work on their naming-things skills."

"I agree."

After Uncle Nikaidou parked the car, we got out and headed towards the front doors.

"What artists do you have working here?" asked Hayato.

"Right now it's just Utau Tsukiyomi."

"I've heard of her! She's getting really popular lately," I blurted out.

"She is? Even with you young people?" asked Uncle Nikaidou.

"Yeah," I answered.

"I'm sure she'll be happy to hear that," he said with a smile.

He opened a door after leading us through twisty, confusing hallways. "This is my office."

I stepped inside with Hayato and looked around. There were papers all over his desk and there was a strange, uncompleted object in the corner of the room. It was dark and hard to see in there.

"Don't you have a light in here?" I asked.

He rubbed the back of his neck and gave a nervous smile. "No, I have the room that is less in the way of everyone else. I'm working on a project that should find what the president wants," he explained.

"So you have an important job that normal people who come here shouldn't know about," stated my brother more than asked.

"Basically," uncle answered.

Hayato smirked. "Sounds like something that would turn into a huge epidemic if it got out."

"In a way, yes. It's confidential, so I can't really tell you anything unless you work in our building."

"We can work here?" I questioned.

"Yes, but you don't get to know anything behind-the-scenes unless the president gives permission," then he added, "It's dangerous, however, and you need something in order to be able to have permission in the first place. A job requirement."

"And that would be...? prodded Hayato.

"Something you don't have, Hayato," he answered, looking at my shoulder with only his eyes.

"He must mean me," Koori said.

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"He looked at me, so he must mean the job requirement is a Guardian Character."


	3. Movie

(^^ Kuaki's POV ^^)

"Guess what!" I exclaimed, running into the green house after school.

"What's going on, Kukai?" asked Yaya.

"I found another person with a Guardian Character!" I answered, grinning from ear to ear and giving a peace sign.

"Who is it?" asked Tadase.

"A newby at our school called Ream Kiyomizu."

"Didn't you get called to the office today to show her around?" asked Amu.

"Yeah, but I didn't expect another potential member to our cause to come walking in. Isn't this great?"

"What would she be though? Amu is already the Joker," said Nadeshiko.

"Hm..." I replied, going into deep thought.

(^^ Ream's POV ^^)

"I'm home!" I called out when we entered Uncle Nikaidou's house.

He chuckled. "I haven't heard you say that in a long time."

I grinned.

Every time I entered my house or Uncle Nikaidou's house, I would always shout it. I guess you could call it a tradition.

"You'd think she would have grown out of it by now," said Hayato.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, pouting.

Hayato smirked, dropping his school bag by the door and taking off his shoes. I copied him.

"So what would you guys like to do?" asked Uncle Nikaidou once we got to the living room.

"Can I call Mom to ask her something?" I asked.

"What do you want to ask her?" he questioned.

"I want to work at Easter. It sounds like it'd be fun," I answered, smiling.

He knelled down and ruffled my hair. "How about I ask my boss first before you ask your Mom? He might not let a twelve year old girl work there."

I frowned. "Okay..."

He smiled as a way of encouragement before standing up straight again and sitting down in a living room chair. Hayato and I sat down too.

"Seems like an interesting place. What would he think if a fourteen year old _boy _worked there?" asked Hayato.

"I'd have to ask," said Uncle Nikaidou.

"Mkay," replied my brother.

"So like I said earlier, what would you two like to so while we wait for your Mom to get home?"

"Watch a movie!" I blurted out.

"How about that Death Note one?" suggested Hayato.

"Yeah, yeah!" I cheered.

"You two like anime and manga?"

"Yes," Hayato and I replied in unison.

"Alright, I think I might have it somewhere," said Uncle Nikaidou as he got up and started searching his entertainment centre.

"You have it?" I asked, surprised.

"Possibly. I like some anime and manga myself you know. I watched and read it as a kid," he explained. "Ah, here it is."

He fiddled around with the machines before turning on the TV.

"Thanks, Uncle Nikaidou," said Hayato.

"Oh no problem," he replied.

As the movie started to begin, I couldn't exactly focus. It was my idea, but my thoughts were bothering me.

"Hey, Koori," I said, "why do you think Uncle Nikaidou could see you? Aren't you not supposed to be able to be seen or heard by other people who don't have a Guardian Character?"

She shrugged. "I don't know how he can see me. He might have a Guardian Character still, but that seems unlikely. It's not often a Guardian Character stays with a child after they reach adult hood."

"Then why did you think he saw you?" I persisted.

"Because he looked directly at me, Ream. He didn't look past me somehow or seem to look through me. He _saw _me and made eye contact."

"So the requirement for the job at Easter really is a Guardian Character... I wonder why," I thought allowed.

"We'll have to find out. Now focus on the movie, Ream."

"Okay."


	4. Character Change

"Remy, you have a phone call from Uncle Nikaidou!" called my Mom.

I raced down the stairs and skipped the last two, jumping from the third step and landing on the floor with a loud BANG!

"Remy, how many times have I told you not to do that?" my Mom scolded.

"Sorry," I apologized, "Can I talk to Uncle Nikaidou now?"

She sighed and handed me the phone.

"Hi, Uncle Nikaidou," I said.

"Hello, Remy. Guess what," he replied.

"What?"

"You're allowed to work at Easter-"

I sucked in breath with excitement and started jumping up and down chanting, "Yay, yay, yay, yay, yay, yay, yay, yay, yay!"

When I calmed down, he continued, "I'm glad you're excited, Remy, but I'm not finished. You need to be under supervision at all times since you're so young."

"That's okay!" I replied excitedly.

"You'll be supervised by me for the time being," he added.

My smile instantly disappeared. "What do you mean 'for the time being'?"

"I don't have a Guardian Character anymore, so you're going to have to be supervised by someone who does have one. You'll also be taught how to use yours to her fullest abilities since I'm assuming you don't know how. Am I correct?"

Uncle Nikaidou was acting strange. He was being very serious, which was unusual since I had barely ever seen him like that.

"Yeah, you're right," I said, my tone more calm.

"You'll have to come by today as soon as you can so we can find out more about your Guardian Character and why she was created. It's only so that we can understand how you can be used to benefit the president," he explained.

"Okay," I replied.

"I already let your Mom know, so she'll be bringing you here soon."

"Okay."

"I'll see you soon, Remy. Bye."

"Bye, Uncle Nikaidou."

I hung up the phone.

"Come on, Remy. Lets go," said my Mom, sounding like she didn't approve.

"Coming," I replied quietly.

I walked towards the front door and put on my shoes; following Mom outside to the car.

"What's wrong, Ream?" asked Koori.

"I'm nervous," I answered.

I got in the car along with Mom and put on my seat belt. She put on hers and started up the car, reversing it out of the driveway and onto the road.

"Why?"

"'Cause I won't be with Uncle Nikaidou the whole time. I'll be with a stranger."

"Oh you'll be fine," said Koori. "But I haven't met people like these before, so I am curious about what this experience will be like."

I nodded.

(^^^-^^^)

"Remy, follow me," said Uncle Nikaidou when I walked in. He was still as serious as before.

I followed him through the hallways and counted every door we passed. _1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 8... 9... 10... 11... 12... 13... 14..._ We stopped in front of a door as he opened it. The inside was white and filled with strange things I had never seen before. The people were working with the strange machinery inside and were all wearing lab coats.

"Remy, this is Yukari. Yukari, this is Chika Kiyomizu's daughter, Ream. We all call her Remy as a nickname."

The lady Uncle Nikaidou was so familiar with was very beautiful. She had redish brown hair and stunning blue eyes. She wore glasses, but it only made her look more sophisticated. She wore a yellow suit with a white shirt underneath the coat.

"Nice to meet you," she replied with a friendly smile, holding out her hand politely.

I took it and shook it quickly before returning my hand to my side awkwardly. "You too," I replied quietly.

"She's extremely shy, but she'll grow accustomed to you soon enough," Uncle Nikaidou assured Yukari.

Yukari nodded. "How about we move to my office so we can learn more about what you already know."

"Okay," I replied.

They both left the strange room and I followed them, once again counting the doors. _1... 2... 3... 4... 5... _She opened a locked door and we went inside.

"You keep your office locked?" I asked.

"I like to feel assured that no one can come inside without me knowing," explained Yukari.

I nodded.

Yukari went and sat behind her desk after closing the office door when we entered. Uncle Nikaidou stood beside her while I took a seat in front of the desk.

Yukari took out a notebook and pen. "So, Ream, what wish did you make that created you're Guardian Character?"

"I wanted to be less shy and afraid. I wanted to be less emotional since I tend to get upset easily. Koori helps me with that," I answered.

She scribbled in her notebook. "Koori, that's your Guardian Character's name?"

"Yes."

"Do you know what a Character Transformation is?" Yukari asked.

"No," I answered.

"Do you know what a Character Change is?"

"Sort of," I replied. "I princess tiara appears on my head and I act like how I want to be. Except the first time, Koori controlled what I said and did."

"What happened?" prodded Yukari, stopping her scribbling in her notebook long enough to look at me.

_I was sitting alone, outside, underneath a tree. I was eating my lunch while listening to the nearby birds. It was a nice peaceful silence. Neither Koori, nor I, wanted to disturb it. Someone else wanted to, however._

_ "Hey, Ream," said a girl, her tone snotty._

_ I looked up and saw Mai with her friends, Mao and Midori. They were girls in my class who had liked to torment me since I started school there in Grade 4._

_ "Hi..." I greeted them cautiously._

_ "We're hungry, Ream," said Mai._

_ "Yeah, Ream. We're hungry," echoed Midori._

_ I didn't answer._

_ "Aren't you going to share your lunch with us?" asked Mao innocently._

_ I knew what they were getting at. 'Give us your lunch or you'll regret it'. It's happened before. The last time I resisted, they dragged me by my hair till I gave up my lunch kit. Mom didn't understand why my uniform was dirty, and I didn't explain._

_ I still didn't answer them._

_ Mai moved forward to do something nasty and I flinched away. Then suddenly, I felt something inside me switch places, and a princess tiara appeared on my head._

_ "Why don't you just buzz off and go pick on somebody else?" I snapped._

_ Mai, Mao, and Midori stared at me with surprise. They looked at each other for a moment, and then back to me._

_ "What did you just say?" asked Mai._

_ "Why don't you just buzz off and pick on somebody else?" I repeated more fiercely._

_ "Get her," ordered Mai._

_ Mao and Midori came at me and started pulling my hair. I kicked one of them in the knee and other other I kicked in the shin. They backed off a moment, clutching their body parts in pain._

_ Mai glared at them. "Can't you two do anything right?"_

_ She then glared at me and swung her arm. I just barely dodged her potential blow before doing the same, punching her in the face. She fell on the ground, holding her cheek and stared up at me, completely astonished, but she soon gave me the nastiest glare I had ever seen her make._

_ "You're going to regret this, Ream Kiyomizu," she threatened before getting up and running off with her friends._

_ I felt something switch back inside myself, and the tiara disappeared._

_ I stared at Koori. "What happened?"_

"So you were able to stand up for yourself with Koori's help," Yukari stated more than asked.

"Yes," I replied. "Can you tell me what a Character Change and a Character Transformation are now?"

"A Character Change is when the Guardian Character grants his or her master special abilities and become a certain person the Guardian Character was born from. Something will appear on you to show that there's been a change. For you, it would be the princess tiara. The Character Change can be controlled by a Guardian Character, but sometimes the user can use it themselves if they're exposed to something that provokes their personality," explained Yukari. "A Character Transformation is when someone combines powers with a Guardian Character. The character goes into his or her egg and goes into the owner's heart. This ability surpasses the Character Change by 120% of it's normal power. This is also rare, so not many people with Guardian Characters can actually transform. The Guardian Character is still active, so they can communicate and can force the owner to do something unwillingly. If you have more than one Guardian Character, you can switch between transformations. It _is _possible to Character Transform with another person's Guardian Character, but the transformation doesn't last as long and it takes up more of your energy. The power isn't as good either."

"Wow..." I replied.

"A lot to take in?" asked Uncle Nikaidou.

"Yeah..."

He chuckled. "You'll understand easier when you experience it yourself.

"But can I actually do it? You already said it's rare for someone to Character Transform with a Guardian Character."

"If you can't, we can 'cause it to happen," said Yukari.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Wait a second, Yukari! You can't put Remy with Ikuto!" exclaimed Uncle Nikaidou.

"Why not? If she can't Character Transform on her own, then using the Dumpty Key that Ikuto has is the only way for her to be able to," Yukari reasoned.

"But we can't even grantee she'd be _safe _with Ikuto," he argued. "He's always running off on his own and doing his own thing."

"If he doesn't, he'll know what will happen to him if he doesn't keep her around."

Uncle Nikaidou stayed silent.

"What's going on?" I asked Koori.

"I don't know, but something tells me that this company is willing to do quite a lot to get what the president wants," answered Koori.

"Um... Who's Ikuto?" I asked. "And what's the Dumpy Key?"

They both looked at me and then at each other.

Yukari sighed. "Well, now that Nikaidou has mentioned things he shouldn't have in your presence, I suppose we'll have to tell you."

"Sounds like your Uncle Nikaidou is going to get an earful later," said Koori.

I nodded.


	5. Troubles

"_Ikuto is Director Hoshina Kazuomi's step son. Ikuto comes and goes like a stray cat, and basically has the same personality as one, so I suggest staying away from him," explained Uncle Nikaidou._

_ "Like I said, Nikaidou. Ikuto and his Dumpy Key is the only way she'll be able to transform if she can't do it on her own," said Yukari._

_ "Yeah, **if **she can't do it," he replied._

_ "She probably won't be able to anyway, Nikaidou. Be prepared for that."_

_ He stayed quiet._

_ "So, what's the Dumpy Key?" I asked again._

_ "The Dumpty Key is a companion of the Humpty Lock. They both allow the person who has a hold of it, and the people around it, to Character Transform. The Dumpty lock's ability is said to unlock people's hearts so that they might understand each other and put their doubts aside," explained Yukari._

_ "What about the Humpty Lock? What can it do?" I persisted._

_ "We aren't entirely sure..." she replied. "We don't have it with us."_

_ "Where is it?" I asked._

_ "With the Guardians," Nikaidou answered._

_ My eyes widened. "You mean those people in that student council thing at my school?"_

_ "Yes."_

_ "Why do they have it?" I asked._

_ "They had originally stole both the Dumpty Key and the Humpty Lock from us, but Ikuto stole the Dumpty Key back. He didn't have a chance to steal the Humpty Lock back, and still hasn't had a chance," explained Nikaidou._

_ "You want Ream and I to steal it back, don't you?" asked Koori._

_ "It would be appreciated, but you can't yet. You aren't skilled enough," Yukari replied. "Until you and your Guardian Character, Koori, are more in sync with each other, we can't let you do something like that."_

_ "Okay," I replied._

To be honest, I didn't want to steal. Mom had always told me that stealing was a very bad thing to do and you could get in a huge amount of trouble if you got caught. It didn't feel like the right thing to do.

"I told you it seemed like they were willing to do anything for that president," said Koori. "Are we really going to steal it?"

I shook my head. "I don't know... We don't have to right now, so that's all that matters."

Koori looked at me for a while. "Alright."

I opened the classroom door and stopped dead in my tracks. Standing with a group of girls was Mai. The same Mai who tormented me in Grade 4 when I had lived in another city.

"What is _she _doing here?" Koori exploded.

I didn't answer. I couldn't take my eyes off her. Same rich kid hair style and aura, same piercing green eyes, and same body language that suggested that no matter what, she was better than you.

"Ream?" sad Koori.

I snapped out of it for just a second and was able to breathe again. Maybe she wouldn't notice me if I went to my desk.

I slowly walked towards it and placed my bag on the hook which was on the side of it. I looked over at the group again and saw Mai giving me a death glare. I froze up.

Then I felt that switch inside me go off again.

"What?" I asked rudely.

The group of girls stopped talking and had noticed the both of us giving a death glare to the other.

"You know what," replied Mai.

"Do I? Do I really?" I challenged. "You were the one that always picked on me ever since you laid eyes on me. I fought back, and you think it's my fault? You're such a stuck up prick!"

I started walking off.

"And what about you? You're Mom got a restraining order against your Dad and divorced him. So what are you then?" challenged Mai.

I stopped, clenching my fists.

"Ream, don't say anything," Koori warned.

"The one time I _should _say something, you're telling me not to?" I replied to Koori.

I turned around and faced Mai with the most ugliest glare I could muster. Her expression changed instantly to shock, but it quickly reverted back to a smug look. "What?" she asked. "Did I hit a nerve?"

"How did you know about that?" I asked.

She didn't answer, still showing off her smug grin.

I stomped up to her and grabbed her by the collar of her uniform, tugging her inches closer to my face. "How. Did. You. Know?" I repeated in a more deadly tone.

She quickly changed her composure and stuttered, "It was a rumour going around school. I-I don't know where it originally came from."

I didn't let go.

"I swear!" she shouted.

I let go. "Don't speak of it again," I warned before stalking off.

It wasn't in that city where it happened. It was in a different one. How could anyone from Grade 4 possibly know about that when it didn't happen there? Was it just a guess? Some random rumour someone made up?

The tiara disappeared off my head, and I could feel myself calming down into a state of horrible nostalgia.

"Ream! Hey Ream- whoa!"

I looked up and saw Kukai.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

I looked away from him.

"Nothing..." I muttered, pushing past him.

"It's not nothing," he said, walking beside me through the hall. "What's wrong?"

Ream got in front of his face and yelled, "Just leave her alone!"

He stopped walking, "Whoa! You don't need to freak out, little Guardian Character."

I stopped and turned around. "You can see her?"

"Yeah," he replied. "That's why I wanted to talk to you today."


	6. XEggs

I sat down in one of the white, fancy looking chairs in the green house. There were three girls and two boys in the student council. They were all sitting at the table with me, except for Kukai who stood beside the blonde boy.

"This is Tadase Hotori, the King's Chair," introduced Kukai.

"And this is Kiseki, my Guardian Character," Tadase said, moving his hand to introduce the levitating Guardian Character by his side.

Kiseki had purple hair, blue eyes, and was dressed like an olden style king. I was curious of what kind of wish Tadase could have made to have his Guardian Character look like that, but I didn't ask.

"I'm Yaya Yuiki!" said a girl with orange hair put up in pigtails with red ribbons. "And this is my Guardian Character, Pepe!"

"Nice to meet you," said Pepe.

Pepe looked a little like Yaya to be honest. She had the orange hair and pigtails, plus the red ribbon on her pink baby hat, but she was dressed like a baby and had a soother in her mouth too.

"Yaya is the Ace Chair," Tadase clarified.

"I'm Nadeshiko Fujisaki. I'm the Queen's Chair, and this is my Guardian Character, Temari."

Nadeshiko was very gorgeous. She had long dark purple hair tied up in a ponytail with a red ribbon, and she had very stunning brown eyes. She even had the aura of a queen!

"Nice to meet you," said Temari.

Temari was dressed in a pink flower covered kimono that looked amazing. She also had that sort of queen aura about her. She had darker pink hair than her kimono and flowers pinning back her hair into a ponytail. She also had brown eyes.

"And I'm Kukai Souma, which you already know," he said. "But what you don't know is that this is my Guardian Character, Daichi!"

"Hey, nice to finally talk to you!" said Daichi.

He had green spiked hair with a sweat band around his head that was white with a yellow star on it. His eyes were brown and he was dressed in sporty clothes.

"Kukai is the Jack's Chair," Tadase added.

"I'm Amu Hinamori, the Joker," said a pink haired girl with a black ex shaped barrette in her hair. She wore her school uniform instead of what the other Guardians were wearing, and she had a twist to her uniform no one else seemed to have in the school. It looked more cool. "These are my Guardian Characters Ran, Miki, and Su."

"Hi!" exclaimed them all in unison.

"I'm Ran," said the Guardian Character dressed all in pink. She had pom poms in her hands and was dressed like a sporty cheerleader.

"I'm Miki," said the other Guardian Character dressed in all blue. She had a bag slung over her shoulder, and I loved her sense of style.

"I'm Su," said the final Guardian Character dressed in all green. She gave me the impression that she came out of a bakery just to meet me by how she was dressed.

"I'm Ream Kiyomizu," I introduced. "This is Koori."

Koori moved off my shoulder so they could see her better. Her glowing blue dress with the blue roses along with her lighter blue leggings looked awesome, like usual. Her dark blue boots matched her dress, and she tossed her hair back even though it was in a bun that spiked up in the back with bangs that hung by the side of her face. Her eyes and hair matched even though they were both blue, and so did the skull barrette in her hair.

Koori went back to my shoulder and whispered so the others couldn't hear, "Amu has the Humpty Lock around her neck."

I looked closer at the pink haired punk. There it was, resting where her collarbone would be underneath her clothes. It was beautiful and had four looking diamond gems that were shaped like flower pedals. In the middle was a space for where I assumed the Dumpty Key would take it's place.

"Why did you bring me here?" I asked, looking at Kukai.

Kukai and Tadase exchanged a look.

"You're going to help us with our mission," said Kukai.

"What mission?" I asked.

"Cleansing X-Eggs," answered Amu. "Since I'm the Joker, I use the Humpty Lock to do that."

"X-Eggs? What are those?" I asked.

"There these black eggs with an ex on them," explained Amu. "You have your Guardian Character's egg with you, right?"

I dug through my school bag and took out Koori's egg. It was black with different shades of blue splattered on it like paint. I took it out and showed them.

"That looks awesome!" explained Yaya, "It fits how your Guardian Character looks."

I smiled happily. "Thanks!"

"Now imagine a white ex on it," instructed Amu.

I looked at it and slowly drew an ex on it with my finger. Nothing happened, but a small pulse of an image appeared, showing what looked to be what Amu was trying to describe.

"What does it mean when they have an ex on it?"

"It means the owner is troubled and it's affecting their Guardian Character. When that happens, the egg goes out of control, and if you ignore them, bad things happen," Kukai explained. "It's the Joker's job to cleanse them so that they can be better again, or destroy them if they can't be cleansed."

"Destroy?" I said, looking at Koori's egg and then Koori. "What happens to the Guardian Character and Owner?"

"The Owner loses sight of their dream and what they want to be," replied Tadase. "And the Guardian Character seizes to exist."

I put Koori's egg away in my bag.

"I need to go," I said, standing up.

"Why?" asked Kukai.

"I have a job after school with my Uncle," I said. "He's picking me up."

"Well, will you consider being a Guardian?" asked Tadase. "I know you're busy, but when you're free you can help."

I slung my bag over my shoulder. "Um... maybe. Anyway, I really have to go." I rushed out of the green house and ran to the front gates of the school.

"Ream, are you alright?" asked Koori.

"No, I'm not. Someone's lying to me, and I don't know who."

(^^^-^^^)

"Hey, Remy! Ready for your first day as an Easter Employee?" asked Uncle Nikaidou excitedly.

"As ready as I can be," I replied. I didn't sound nearly as excited as he did.

"What's wrong?"

"I'll tell you in the car."

"Alright."

Uncle Nikaidou led me to his car. He opened the driver side door and got in. I got in on the passenger side and closed the door. He didn't look particularly happy since the driving rules were that twelve year old kids weren't supposed to sit in the passenger seat, but he didn't say anything.

"So what happened?" he asked after starting the car and driving away from the school.

"The Guardians want me to join their group," I said. "They explained to me what X-Eggs are."

"I see," he replied, his expression changing. "You might not like what you signed up for then."

"What do you mean?"

"Easter uses X-Eggs to lure out the item the president wants.

I didn't answer.

"The Guardians always come to the rescue and make the X-Eggs return to normal. When that happens, sometimes we see the Embryo."

"What's the Embryo?" I asked.

"The item the president wants. It's said that the Embryo is supposed to grant the wish of the one who takes possession of it."

"Does the president have a wish?"

"I don't know. I would think he would if he wants the Embryo," answered Uncle Nikaidou.

"So Easter hurts others just so the president can get what he wants?" I questioned.

"They get healed in the end," Uncle Nikaidou reminded me.

"But does that really make it right?" I insisted.

"Look, I have the ability to make an egg turn into an X-Egg. Do you want Koori to disappear?"

"No..." I said, staring at Uncle Nikaidou with disbelief. He was willing to hurt me, his non-biological niece since he's known since forever, just for the sake of Easter's president?

"What about your brother?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you want his heart's egg to disappear?"

"He has one?"

"Everyone has one," he spat.

"I don't want his gone either!" I shouted.

"Then you have to do as Easter wants."

I sat there staring at my lap, trying my hardest not to cry. I clenched my fists. I was so angry that I had gotten myself tricked, and I was upset that I had to hurt others because I wanted to protect Koori.

"Fine..."


	7. Chairman

When I came to school the next day, I wasn't excited to be there anymore. I didn't know how to get out of the mess I was in. How could I have fallen for Uncle Nikaidou's trickery? Why was he suddenly like this? He was never like this before...

"Ream?"

"Huh? What?" I asked as I looked up.

"Pay attention to class please," said the teacher.

Everyone laughed.

I shrunk in my seat. "Sorry..."

I looked over at Kukai and he gave me a worried look before going back to paying attention to class. Then I looked over at Mai. She was smirking. I sunk further in my seat.

I knew being with Easter would help me understand my Guardian Character more, but I didn't want to hurt people in the process. I felt like I was being used, which was probably the case, and I felt that Uncle Nikaidou lied about the Guardians stealing the Humpty Lock and Dumpty Key, but I didn't know for sure. There had to be some proof somewhere other than in other people's words.

The bell rang for lunch and I was quick to get up and leave. I didn't want to be cornered by Mai and I certainly didn't want to be around anyone at this time. I just wanted to be alone to think about my next move; a solution to this problem that wouldn't harm many people.

"Ream!"

I stopped and reluctantly turned around.

"Yes?" I asked.

"What's going on? You're usually paying attention to class," asked Kukai.

I gave him a curious look for a moment, wondering if he watched me during class everyday so far, but I pushed passed that thought for a moment. If I didn't answer soon enough, he'd become more curious.

"Nothing," I answered, making a small smile.

He looked at me long and hard.

"Come with me," he said as he grabbed my hand and started dragging me down the halls behind him.

"Kukai! Kukai! Where are you taking me?" I shouted.

I felt my cheeks flush red as I realized that people were staring, so I shut up quickly and tried to keep up with him.

"I'm taking you to the Chairman, who I earlier called the principal of Seiyo Academy. I didn't want to tell you he was the Chairman of the Guardians and first, but now it's fine to tell you," he explained.

"What?" I asked, completely confused. "So you lied to me?"

"No, I didn't lie. He is the principal, but we know him as the Chairman because he was the one who first started the Guardians. He was the very first Kings Chair," Kukai replied.

"Oh," I said, not sure how else to reply.

Kukai suddenly stopped in front of a door and knocked. I half expected him to burst through the door and into the mysterious room from how fast he was walking.

"Come in," a masculine voice said.

Kukai opened the door and dragged me into the room behind him, put me in front of him, closed the door, and introduced, "This is Tsukasa Amakawa, the Chairman of the Guardians."

He looked so young... younger than what I would've expected, and he had short-ish, light brown hair. His eyes were soft and kind, which was something I wasn't used to. It startled me, and for a moment, I was in a daze; just staring.

"You must be Ream, correct?" asked the Chairman.

"U-uh yes!" I replied a little too loudly. I blushed and quickly looked down to my feet, embarrassed from my outburst.

He chuckled and I looked up shyly.

"You too," I replied. I looked back at Kukai. "But why did you bring me here?"

"I wanted to introduce you to him since you're our potential new Guardian member," he said as he grinned.

I half smiled at him and looked over at the Chairman. "So... can you still see your Guardian Character?"

"No, I can't," he quickly responded, "but I'm able to see other childrens'."

_So that makes him just like Uncle Nikaidou..._

"Are the Guardian's the only ones in the school with Guardian Characters?" I asked.

He motioned to a chair and I sat down with Kukai sitting beside me while the Chairman sat across from us.

"Yes, that is the case. Though that doesn't mean the other children don't have the opportunity to have theirs born. The time for those characters to be born just hasn't happened yet," he explained.

"Oh," I replied, looking down at my shoes in thought.

I looked up at him again. "I made a wish. I wanted to be more social and less shy." I looked to Koori on my shoulder. She flew out from it so she could be seen better and bowed respectfully.

"My name's Koori," she introduced before going back to my shoulder.

The Chairman nodded.

"So, when a child makes a wish, is that how a Guardian Character is born?" I asked.

The Chairman nodded again. "Many children know, or don't yet realize, what they want to be when they grow up, but the ones who wish for what they want get their Guardian Character, who is like a guide almost. However, if you don't believe in them, they'll turn into an X-Egg or disappear."

I looked to Koori. Amu had said something similar.

"I haven't been told much about the Guardians," I admitted to the Chairman. "I don't know if I want to join. I understand that they're trying to save people's dreams and Guardian Characters, but I can't help but feel there's more to it."

I didn't want to lie, and I guess it wasn't really a lie since there was more to what was going on between Easter and the Guardians, but I didn't like not being able to tell the whole truth.

The Chairman stared at me for a long time without saying anything. He had this look in his eyes that suggested he knew more than what he was letting on; like he could see right through me.

"They're also looking for the Embryo," he finally admitted, "and they're trying to get the Dumpty Key back from Ikuto."

My eyes widened. Both the Guardians and Easter were wanting the Embryo, and they both wanted the complete set of the Humpty Lock and Dumpty Key!

_But why?_

"Embryo? Dumpty Lock?" I said after regaining my composure.

The expression on the Chairman's face hadn't changed. It was like he knew that I would already make some sort of connection between what I knew and what I had just been told. It was a bit unsettling.

"The Embryo is an egg that appears when an X-Egg has been cleansed. Supposedly, it grants the wish of whoever catches it. The Dumpty Key is a part of the complete set of the Humpty Lock. If both of them are together, than something very interesting and eye opening will happen," he explained.

"So the Guardians have a wish they want granted?"

"Yes," the Chairman replied.

I stayed quiet for a while as I went into thought. Just what could the President of Easter and the Guardians want so badly?

The bell rang, which snapped me out of my revere.

"I better go," I said quickly as I got up. "It was nice meeting you!"

The Chairman nodded as I rushed out the door.


	8. Jolts

"Join the Guardians."

"What?" I asked, looking at Uncle Nikaidou.

"You heard me," he said coldly.

I looked down to my lap as he was driving me to Easter.

"It's so I can get information from them, isn't it? And to eventually steal the Humpty Lock away."

"Yes," he answered curtly.

I clenched my fists in my lap.

Koori flew into my line of vision and gave me a worried look. Normally, she would have suggested something like, _"You know you can just refuse, right?" _But she didn't. She didn't want to disappear. I didn't want my brother's hearts egg to be affected either.

_Why are people cruel?_

"We're here."

I stepped out of the car, not really watching where I was going, but following Uncle Nikaidou from behind. He had opened doors for me and let me through first, but I didn't really register my surroundings. I just numbly walked.

"Yukari, I brought her," I heard him say.

I briefly snapped out of my trance and looked up. She wore the same clothes as the last time I had seen her.

"Lets hurry this up. I have things to do with Utau," she said.

She turned away to lead me further into the scientific room from before when I asked, "You work with Utau?"

She turned to look at me briefly. "Yes, I'm her manager. Now come." She turned back and started walking. I quickly followed her. Uncle Nikaidou stayed behind.

"What are we doing?" I asked.

"We're going to see if you can Character Transform on your own," Yukari answered.

"Oh..." I replied, lowering my head as I followed her.

"Enter here," she instructed as she stopped in front of this confined area. It had glass barriers all around it so people could see inside. At this point, I felt like a test subject.

I went in without a word and heard the door close behind me and auto-lock itself.

Yukari went to the control area of the room and spoke over the intercom, "Can you hear me, Ream?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Then we'll begin, but you might feel some pain," she warned.

I flinched and felt myself freeze a bit. "What do you mean...?"

"We need to put you into a dangerous situation in order for you to get into the mindset of transforming. There's nothing to worry about. It's all controlled," she reassured.

I swallowed hard, but nodded.

"You know you don't have to do this..." Koori said quietly.

"It's okay. I'll be fine," I said, but mostly to comfort myself than comfort her.

"We're starting."

I nodded.

I stood there and waited for something to start. At first, it felt like an eternity to wait, and I almost relaxed, thinking that maybe nothing would happen after all, but I suddenly felt a jolt. It felt like those times when you accidentally got shocked by someone else. You know, being shocked from static electricity.

Then I started to feel more of those shocks, and they hurt more each time they touched my skin.

Memories started to flow into my head that I had kept pushing back, but it was hard to keep them at bay when I felt pain.

_"What has gotten into you lately?" mom shouted. "You have been a complete jerk recently!"_

_ "Nothing! Leave me alone!" dad shouted as he started to storm upstairs, but mom followed him._

_ "No! I won't leave you alone! I want an explanation, Kenta!"_

_ "Just shut up!" he yelled, backhanding her._

_ She tumbled down the stairs and my eyes widened. I screamed, "Mom!"_

_ I looked to dad and our eyes met. He looked horrified, but then his face hardened and his eyes seemed to cloud over. He lifted the can to his lips and took a swig before walking off._

The pain started to intensify, and I couldn't keep the small cries of pain to a minimum anymore.

_"Dad, what's wrong?" I asked cautiously as I entered the room._

_ He smelt horrible, and had those familiar cans laying all over the place. He didn't look himself at all._

_ "I won't let your mother leave me, or you, or your brother."_

_ I felt afraid. We wanted to leave only because he had suddenly become so violent. None of us knew why. It was like one day he was fine, and the next, he'd snapped._

_ His face twisted into an ugly, angry expression. "I won't let her leave me for that __**scum**__," he spat._

_ "Who are you talking about dad?" I asked, not quite understanding what he was getting at._

_ But that was a big mistake..._

_ He slammed the can on his bedside table, some of the contents sloshing out onto it._

_ "How can you not know, Ream? You've met him! You've met him god dammit!"_

_ He stormed towards me and I backed away. I tried slamming his bedroom door in his face so I could run to some other place in the house, but he had caught it in his hand._

I screamed. It hurt so bad, and the memories of the beatings, and the fights, and the fear; the courtroom, the judge, and all the people just sitting there listening... I couldn't get it out of my head now! It just all came flooding back so fast that it was becoming a mushed up blur.

I collapsed on the floor of the confined glass room and screamed as I held my hands to my ears, "**STOP IT!"**

Then suddenly, the painful shocks were gone, but my body ached. I slowly removed my shaking hands from my ears, and realized that my cheeks were wet and my eyes hurt.

"Ream! Ream!"

I turned.

"U-Uncle Nikaidou?" I asked.

He quickly embraced me.

"This wasn't what we agreed on, Yukari! We weren't going to use this method!" he shouted. It made my ears ring.

Yukari replied over the intercom, "It was the best approach to take that would have brought the best results."

Uncle Nikaidou didn't say anything further, but I imagined that he was glaring at the woman.

"We're going home, Remy," he said.

"Okay..."


	9. Guardians

I went to school the next day despite everyone's protests. Hayato and mom didn't know what had happened since I hadn't told them. How was I going to explain Character Transformations, let alone Guardian Characters, to them? But regardless, they knew something was wrong.

My body ached when I walked, and protested when I needed to bend down to put on my shoes or to sit down in my desk, but I had to act like everything was normal. I had to join the Guardians as soon as possible; even if it seemed really sudden or weird.

"Ream, is something wrong?" asked Kukai.

I looked over at him. He always asked this right when something was up, yet even if I didn't tell him, he'd still persist. I didn't know why.

"I'm just really sore today," I answered. "Maybe it's from gym class?"

Kukai grinned. "Yeah, maybe." He stretched in his seat and asked, "Have you thought about your decision?"

"In joining the Guardians?"

"Yeah."

I looked out the window for a moment, but then looked back at him as warmly as I could. "I'll join."

His eyes lit up. "Really?" he exclaimed.

"Yes, really," I answered.

"That's great!" he replied.

I nodded.

(^^^_^^^)

I had called Uncle Nikaidou at lunch and told him that I would be at the Guardian's meeting after school. He sounded half pleased and half irritated.

"Is there something wrong with that, Uncle Nikaidou? I thought you wanted me to join them."

"I did, but... Yukari wanted you to be introduced to Ikuto today. Of course it wouldn't be guaranteed if he would have came, but..." his voice trailed off.

"You would get scolded by her right?"

"Yeah, somewhat," he replied.

"Is she really that scary?" I questioned.

"Not so much scary as irritating and annoying to deal with," he clarified. "Anyways, go to the meeting. It'll give me a reason to have Yukari not yell at me for as long."

I laughed, "Alright."

And then I hung up the phone.

I was nervous when I had found myself at the doorstep of the greenhouse. I was actually going to do it. I was going to deceive people. Trick people. Do the same things my uncle had done...

I suddenly felt sick.

"Ream..." said Koori.

I shook my head as if to shake off the guilt and opened the door wide, took a deep breath of sweet scented air, and marched inside.

As the door closed behind me, I took in my surroundings. The flowers, the scents, the table with everyone sitting there doing Guardian paper work with their Guardian Characters close by. There were sweets, and tea, and the scents of them mixed with the flowers to create a aroma I wished was a perfume.

"Hey, it's Ream!" blurted out Yaya.

"Hi," I replied with a wave.

"And Koori!" exclaimed Pepe, Yaya's Guardian Character.

"Hello there!" Koori cheerfully.

"So, you really are going to join?" asked Ran, Amu's cheerleader-looking Guardian Character.

"Yes," I replied, nodding.

Kukai gave me a peace sign and I smiled a little, trying not to be awkward or too distant, which wasn't easy. These people were still new to me. Kukai was the only one I was somewhat familiar with.

"Come and sit down," invited Nadeshiko.

She stood up and grabbed the back of a recently added chair, pulling it out like a gentleman would.

I nodded and walked up the stairs, and then sat down in the chair. She pushed it in for me and returned to her seat. I smiled, and Nadeshiko nodded.

"Want some sweets?" asked Tadase as he casually moved the sweets plate towards me.

I took a look at the plate and my face lit up.

_Blonde brownies!_

They were my favourite kind of dessert. They were lightly tanned coloured brownies with chocolate chips inside, and they tasted so heavenly...

I took one and took a large bite out of it, grinning from ear to ear as I munched.

"You like these?" asked Kukai.

"Ream has always loved blonde brownies. They're her favourite dessert," explained Koori.

(^^^-^^^)

"Now that all the niceties are out of the way, lets get down to business," said Tadase.

I looked up at him from my... well, I don't know how many of the brownies I had actually.

"We need to decide what 'chair' you'll be," clarified Kukai.

"Well..." I said. "There's Tadase who's the King's Chair, Nadeshiko, the Queen's Chair, Kukai, you're the Jack's Chair, Yaya is the Ace, Amu is the Joker, so... That doesn't really leave me a spot."

Kukai blinked as the others stared at me with surprise.

"What?" I asked, feeling my cheeks flush.

"You remembered all that?" asked Kukai.

"Yes..." I replied, sinking down in my chair a bit.

Daichi, Kukai's Guardian Character, grinned. "That's impressive!"

I smiled a bit, adjusting myself in my seat so I wasn't so uncomfortable, and looking like I wanted to disappear.

"How about calling you the Deck's Chair?" asked Miki.

Everyone looked at one another before replying with, "That could work."

"Then it's settled. You're the new Deck's Chair," said Tadase smiling.

"Now all we need to do is get her a Guardian uniform," said Nadeshiko.

I personally kind of wanted to stay in my own uniform, but then it'd probably be difficult for others in the school to realize I was a Guardian.

I looked over at Amu.

_I also don't want to copy her..._

"Okay," I replied.


	10. Ikuto Tsukiyomi

**.:Next Day:.**

"Huh...?" I asked stupidly.

Uncle Nikaidou sighed with frustration and re-explained, "Your brother has decided to work with Easter as a trainee. He wanted to work in the same section as you, but the President refused to allow it. So, he was offered a trainee spot in the banking department instead. Hayato agreed."

I felt myself go stiff, and a feeling like my heart being squeezed painfully entered my chest.

_Hayato... is now an employee of Easter...?_

He was even closer to them than he was before, and he didn't even realize the danger he was in if I failed!

I slammed my fist on the window angrily.

_Dammit, Hayato!_

Uncle Nikaidou smirked at me in the rear view mirror. "Does it bother you that we have a tighter grip on him, and you, than we did before?"

I met his gaze and glared at him. He looked surprised for only a moment before fixing his composure, looking away from the mirror and back to the road.

"We're almost there," he said curtly.

I merely looked out the window; staring down the passing buildings and people.

(^^^-^^^)

My eyes widened. I wasn't expecting to see him so soon after just talking about him moments before. He was even wearing a suit and tie like a professional.

"Hey, Ream," he greeted casually.

"H-hi..." I replied, still a bit surprised.

"Don't tell me you didn't tell her, Uncle Nikaidou," said Hayato, looking to uncle.

"No, I told her, but I think she wasn't expecting to see you so soon here, am I right?" he asked, looking to me.

I nodded.

"Anyway, we have to meet up with another coworker, so please excuse us," Uncle Nikaidou said calmly.

Hayato nodded, and then looked to me.

I waved a little and followed uncle.

I felt a very slight movement in my pocket. If I hadn't of been paying attention, even the slightest, I wouldn't have noticed. I smiled a bit to myself.

_He slipped a note into my pocket._

(^^^-^^^)

"Uncle Nikaidou, are we almost there?" I asked.

We had climbed what felt like an endless amount of stairs, and I was getting exhausted.

"Almost."

"Where are we going anyway?" I questioned.

"To the roof," he answered.

"The roof? Why?"

"'Cause Ikuto wouldn't come unless we met on the roof," he answered.

_That's weird_, I thought.

"Here we are," said Uncle Nikaidou before he opened the door, a wave of bright light piercing my eyes. I covered them and grabbed onto the back of his casual suit jacket for a moment so I could be lead to the spot as my eyes adjusted.

When I was able to see properly, I let go of his jacket right when he stopped, and peeked past him. My mouth dropped. He was... How do you describe a person who looks so much older than you, yet doesn't at the same time?

"Hi," I greeted without thinking first.

He opened one of his eyes and tilted his head just enough to get a look at me. He grinned a bit.

"What is this? She's quite young, and innocent," he said, his gaze instantly going to my uncle's.

"I didn't want her to meet you, but Yukari insisted," Uncle Nikaidou explained.

Ikuto's small grin vanished.

He looked away from the both of us and closed his eyes again, turning on his side so he wouldn't face us. "So what is she doing here? Why am I meeting her?"

"She can't character transform on her own. She needs the Dumpty Lock's power, just as you do, in order to do that," uncle explained.

Uncle Nikaidou looked stiff. His expression was strained, and his voice was very... stern? I couldn't really put my finger on it.

"Why's that such a big deal? If she can't, she can't. Use her for some other use in the company. You probably didn't even want her involved in the first place."

Uncle Nikaidou didn't answer.

I looked up at him again. He looked more tense. I tugged at his sleeve. He looked down at me, his expression not changing, but rather, looking more strained.

"Forget about it, uncle," I said.

His face twisted into something... evil.

"What? Are you saying you want you're Guardian Character to turn into an X-Egg? That you want Hayato's heart's egg to turn into one as well? If that's so, then sure, lets settle this right now!"

"NO!" I shouted, grabbing Koori and hiding her in my hands, thinking that would help.

"You threatened her?" asked Ikuto, his voice sounding very threatening all of a sudden.

I looked up and saw his face. His eyes were glaring at uncle and he looked silently furious.

"Yes, I did," Uncle Nikaidou replied. "It was the sake of the President. It was what he wanted."

Ikuto hadn't replied, and then he looked at me. His eyes changed, but only slightly. They didn't look angry. They looked... sad? But why would he feel sad for me?

"Alright. I'll babysit the kid," he said suddenly, and then returned to his position on the roof that he was in originally; laying down while he faced the sky, closing his eyes.

"Then I'll leave her here with you. What you decide to do is up to you," Uncle Nikaidou said before turning around and exiting through the roof entrance.

I stood there, not sure what to do.

"Seems like we'll be working with this guy now," said Koori, escaping from my hands and fixing her messed up hair and wrinkled clothes. "No more Uncle Nikaidou. Isn't that great?"

"I'm not sure..." I answered. I peeked over at Ikuto again.

He opened one of his eyes and looked at me. "What's her name?"

"Huh?"

"You're Guardian Character's name. What is it?" he repeated.

"Koori," I answered.

"And you? What's your name?"

"Ream. Ream Kiyomizu."


End file.
